Deer Danger

"Maggie" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> Ken wrote:
>>
>> I have never seen or heard of anyone hitting a deer on a bicycle!
>> But the bike woould probably get the worst of it.
>>
>> Ken
>
> I was thinking the same thing. I ride my bike up in PA with my
> brother. He has deer all around him. He actually feeds them. They
> come to his back door for food. Along with every other creature that
> lives on the acres of land he bought up there. I was there once while
> the Mama's were bringing their little babies around. It was cute.
>
> Anyway, to get back on track. We all ride around that area, and I
> can't even imagine how we could not avoid a deer on a bicycle. Unless
> you are training for an event and really going fast.
>
> As far as I am concerned, I doubt very seriously if they are a huge
> threat to someone on a bike. A car is a different story. Even in that
> instance, if you hit the deer, the animal is dead and you have a
> wrecked front end. (happened to my brother)
>
> My husband hit a big dog that got loose in our suburban town. The dog
> got up and left, my husband had alot of damage to the front end of the
> car. I think the deaths happen when we try to avoid the deer and end
> up hitting a wall or another car coming in the opposite direction.
>
> Maggie.
>
> How did this car/deer thread get on a bicycle NG. We never go OT. ;-)
>

Well I think the deer would have enough time to get out of the way, unless
the cyclist was heading downhill, or had a real good tailwind pushing them.

Ken

wrote:
>> i almost crushed a squirrel yesterday, but hitting a deer on a bike
>> would be something...anyone ever?...naw!
> On http://www.bikejournal.com user irishbiker posted:
> A few years ago I was finishing hill training for a MS150 tour and a
> deer came out of the woods and took off across the road as I was going
> downhill. I honestly thought I was going fast enough to get by. Wrong!
> I crunched it and went flying. Thank goodness for my helmet. I
> actually did have proof I hit a deer as my taco'd front wheel had
> deer hair embedded between the tire and the rim. I've been kidded
> constantly since by friends wanting to know if I've been bike hunting
> lately. A friend and my father-in-law actually crafted a letter from
> the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks telling me that hunting
> in this manner was illegal and if I do it again I would be prosecuted
> to the full extent of the law!

Funny. All I can say is it's better to hit a deer on a bike (er, while YOU
are on a bike) than to be hit BY a deer on your bike. (Again...deers don't
steal.)

Should I start this over?

Out.

what does THIS button do? wrote:
> I've slapped a buck's tail during one commute and swatteded a doe on
> ass another ride. The buck covered me in deer "pellets".

Anyone notcie a pattern here?

Bill Sornson wrote:
> Funny. All I can say is it's better to hit a deer on a bike (er,
while YOU
> are on a bike) than to be hit BY a deer on your bike. (Again...deers
don't
> steal.)
>
> Should I start this over?
>
> Out.

Are you the grammar police? Making sure sentence structure is correct
and we don't dangle our participles. Jeff is the Music Lyric Police.
I wonder what I can police. Maybe anyone who goes off topic. ;-)

Mags

> This is a peak time of year for deer crashes, even in heavily
> populated areas.

Yes! It isn't just something that happens in the boondocks, although
the consequences might be more severe there because of higher speeds.

Deer tolerate our presence fairly well in general, and in particular
think of suburban landscaping as one big salad bar. Unfortunately their
predators are not very tolerant of human activity and density and
habitat interruption; and culture or the proximity of houses puts the
kibosh on hunting in such locations. This means their main natural
enemy is the fender.

In the bosky enclave where I used to live in the San Francisco Bay
area, I braked for deer in the street, or cast a wary eye on them after
seeing them near the roadside, many a time; and four or five carcasses
a year near the side of the road and the freeway on-ramp along my
commute indicated that not all drivers, and deer, were so lucky.

Another thing to remember about deer when driving is, don't run 'em.
Maybe it's obvious to YOU how they might get away, but they can get
psychologically constrained to the road even when escape is quite
physically possible. If you come to a stop, or at least slow way down
(assuming it's safe to do so), they'll regain their senses and find a
place to get away. But if you press them, they often stay channeled in
the road and might even bound right in front of you or someone coming
the other way.

Finally, remember that they go around in groups, especially the females
and their young. So if you see a fawn or doe near or in the road, it's
prudent to assume that there are a few more not too far away.

Cheers,
--Joe

Maggie wrote:
> Bill Sornson wrote:
>> Funny. All I can say is it's better to hit a deer on a bike (er,
>> while YOU are on a bike) than to be hit BY a deer on your bike.
>> (Again...deers don't steal.)
>>
>> Should I start this over?
>>
>> Out.

> Are you the grammar police? Making sure sentence structure is correct
> and we don't dangle our participles. Jeff is the Music Lyric Police.
> I wonder what I can police. Maybe anyone who goes off topic. ;-)

Maggie the Topic Cop!

All in favor...?

Ad absurdum per aspera wrote:
>>This is a peak time of year for deer crashes, even in heavily
>>populated areas.
>
>
> Yes! It isn't just something that happens in the boondocks, although
> the consequences might be more severe there because of higher speeds.
>
> Deer tolerate our presence fairly well in general, and in particular
> think of suburban landscaping as one big salad bar. Unfortunately their
> predators are not very tolerant of human activity and density and
> habitat interruption; and culture or the proximity of houses puts the
> kibosh on hunting in such locations. This means their main natural
> enemy is the fender.

The over abundence of deer is a symptom of a damaged ecosystem--we
virtually eliminated their natural predators.
Deer are pure pests. They destroy young trees are have no value
whatsoever for anything in the ecosystem.

Why hunting them is not allowed year-round,
and why there are so many restrictions when hunting is allowed,
I dont understand.

Bill Sornson wrote:

> Funny. All I can say is it's better to hit a deer on a bike (er, while YOU
> are on a bike) than to be hit BY a deer on your bike.

If I see a deer on my bike I'm getting my camera and taking a picture,
because a deer riding a bike is a pretty unusual thing.

Rich wrote:
> Bill Sornson wrote:
>
>> Funny. All I can say is it's better to hit a deer on a bike (er,
>> while YOU are on a bike) than to be hit BY a deer on your bike.
>
> If I see a deer on my bike I'm getting my camera and taking a picture,
> because a deer riding a bike is a pretty unusual thing.

GET HIM, MAGGIE!

On Tue, 24 May 2005 06:51:41 -0400, Ken wrote:

> I have never seen or heard of anyone hitting a deer on a bicycle!
> But the bike woould probably get the worst of it.

I haven't hit one, but I had a very close call. A deer came zooming
across the road between me and another rider. It came through heavy brush
so there was no way to see it in advance, and it was just chance that it
didn't come through a fraction of a second earlier, or later, and collide
with one of us.

I make it a point to watch for deer, and call them out to other riders.
If you see one, there are others nearby, too.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | What is objectionable, and what is dangerous about extremists is
_`\(,_ | not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant.
(_)/ (_) | --Robert F. Kennedy